This invention relates to an exhaust gas purifier and, more particularly, to an exhaust gas purifier for use in internal or external combustion engines of motor vehicles and ships. More particularly, the exhaust gas purifier of the present invention is adapted to completely extinguish sparks and, in addition, to finely granulate and discharge solid exhaust particles after they have been extinguished and collected.
If unburned solid particles, solid particles in the form of sparks, or flames are discharged into the atmosphere from exhaust pipes of large-sized vehicles such as trailers or from smoke stacks of ships such as tankers, they will adversely affect the environment and cause pollution. Discharge of sparks or flames from the smokestack of a tanker into the atmosphere is particularly dangerous because it is liable to cause ignition of the petroleum products carried on the tanker. For this reason, it is necessary that a smokestack of a ship or the like should be provided with a filter screen for preventing discharge of sparks. However, a satisfactory preventive effect cannot be expected by the provision of a filter screen alone.
Accordingly, it has heretofore been proposed to provide a method in which the exhaust gas containing the sparks is made to swirl in the extension of a stack or in the exhaust pipe to thereby extinguish the sparks. However, a conventional swirling method has disadvantages in that it cannot completely extinguish the sparks and, in addition, it cannot remove relatively large-sized unburned particles contained in the exhaust gas.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of known prior art arrangements and to provide an exhaust gas purifier which can discharge an exhaust gas after extinguishing the sparks in the exhaust gas, which can finely granulate unburned solid particles into fine dust, and which can be safely used as an exhaust gas purifier for internal or external combustion engines of motor vehicles, ships, and the like.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an exhaust gas purifier which can be very easily mounted on an exhaust pipe of a motor vehicle or the like or on a smokestack of a ship such as a tanker and which can remove sparks, flames, and unburned solid particles from the exhaust gas.
According to the present invention, there is provided an exhaust gas purifier comprising a closed cylindrical member which can be mounted on an exhaust pipe of a motor vehicle, on a stack of a ship, or a similar location and which has at its one end an exhaust gas inlet and at the other end an exhaust gas outlet. A cap-shaped cylindrical swirl-generating member is fixed in the closed cylindrical member so that it will cover the exhaust gas inlet and is provided with a plurality of swirl vanes for imparting a swirling motion to the exhaust gas in the closed cylindrical member, whereby, while the exhaust gas is made to swirl through the inside of the closed cylindrical member by the swirl-generating member and is discharged from the exhaust gas outlet, sparks contained in the exhaust gas are extinguished and unburned solid particles are collected in the closed cylindrical member for discharge through the exhaust gas outlet.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the exhaust gas purifier may also be provided with a filter means or screen for preventing discharge of sparks or flames into the atmosphere.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the swirl-generating member may have on its wall a swirl guide projection extending into the closed cylindrical member towards the exhaust gas outlet, thereby ensuring a more stable swirling action of the exhaust gas in the closed cylindrical member to further improve purification of the exhaust gas.
Other features which are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described in relationship to specific embodiments, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.